It always takes me a moment to warm up to a new combatant in the It Bag Wars. Nina Ricci is an extremely well-established fashion house, but its never been known for its handbags, and any brand charging well into the four figures out of the gate deserves a close inspection. Luckily, bags like the Nina Ricci Liane Satchel pass with flying colors. (more…)

I don’t even like coral. Not the crusty sea structures – I’m sure those are perfectly lovely – but the color, most often associated with bad lipstick choices and tropically located retirees. Anything in the peach and orange family tends to make me run and hide because of my skin tone, but for the right accessory, I can deal with almost anything. Luckily, the Lanvin Pillow Shopper is exactly the right accessory.

A good bag or piece of clothing can make even an odd color choice seem brilliant, and the ubersoft lambskin for which Lanvin is so well known takes this bag to the next level. My only regret is that I can’t reach through the screen to touch it – I hope someone at Apple is working on that, Steve Jobs. Make sure to notify me when there’s an app for that. (more…)

Yesterday one of our lovely Australian readers, Baguette, wrote in to ask me to weigh in on the Dicha Pavlova Bag. Because I’m always happy to oblige someone that has already done the work of finding a bag on my behalf, I’m here to fulfill her request.

She’s a vintage lover just like I am, which for both of us also extends to the love of both vintage-style pieces that aren’t actually old and restored things that have been made to look new. The Dicha Pavlova bag is the latter, but sadly, it’s not working for me or the reader that brought it to my attention. I couldn’t tell you exactly why Baguette doesn’t like it, but I can speak for myself and say that it’s just way too much. (more…)